Method for lifting track rails



Nov. 26, 1963 F. PLASSER ETAL METHOD FOR LIFTING TRACK RAILS Filed March 17, 1960 m m 0 N w W N w .3 ow a R 8 m. Q M Q on x 1: MN Q 1 l... R. Q 1? w m m k 8 v Q S on 0x008 9 cm kll United States Patent 3,111,908 METHOD FOR LIFTING TRACK RAILS Franz Plasser and Josef Theurer, both of J ohannesgasse 3, Vienna, Austria Filed Mar. 17, 1960, Ser. No. 15,569 Claims priority, application Austria Mar. 25, 1959 1 Claim. (Cl. 104-7) The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for lifting a track to a predetermined level.

In the grading of railway tracks, the desired level of individual ties is first determined and marked, whereupon a track lifting car raises the ties to the marked level where the ties are fixed in position either manually or by a track tamping machine. In this procedure, however, the operator of the track lifting car has no reliable reference point for observing the relative lifting stroke of the track rails.

It is the primary object of the present invention to overcome this disadvantage and to provide a method and means for accurately determining the grade level of a track during a grading operation.

In accordance with this invention, only one of the two track rails is first lifted to the predetermined level while the other rail remains at rest as a fixed reference point and the lifting stroke is measured in relation to the changing difference in level between the rail at rest and the rail which is being lifted.

The track lifting method is exceedingly simple and also makes it possible not only to obtain the desired grade level but also to correct the transverse inclination of the track immediately after the track has been lifted to the desired level and with the same apparatus. For this purpose, one rail is lifted after the other, the rail at rest always serving as the fixed reference point for observing the lifting stroke of the rail being raised. Such a procedure considerably reduces the time necessary for grading a track portion.

In some instances, the tie to be lifted may be so strongly lodged in the ballast that the raising of one rail may cause the tie to pivot about its opposite end. For purposes of accuracy, however, it is desirable to make the other rail the fixed pivoting point and not the tie end.

To eliminate this possible source of inaccuracy in the method of the invention, it is proposed, therefore, to raise the other rail a little bit first and to fix it in this slightly raised position, whereupon the rail to be lifted to the predetermined level is so lifted while the track is pivoted about the other rail and the lifting stroke is measured in relation to the changing difference in level between the two rails.

The only thing essential for the determination of the proper lifting stroke is that the rail serving as the fixed reference point remain securely at rest during the lifting of the other rail and it makes no difference what the exact level of this fixed reference point is at the beginning or during the lifting operation.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, the method may be practiced with a car having Wheels for mobility on railway track rails and means associated with each of the rails for lifting the associated rail. A pendulum indicator is mounted on the car for pivotal movement in a transverse plane perpendicular to the track and at least one scale is associated with the indicator to show the transverse inclination of the track on the scale.

The term pendulum indicator, as used throughout the specification and the claim, includes any level means indicating an inclination from the horizontal.

According to a preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the invention, a stationary scale and an adjustable scale are associated with the indicator, the adjustable scale being movable in a transverse plane perpendicular to the track in relation to the indicator.

The above and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will appear more fully from the detailed description of a specific embodiment of an apparatus useful for the practice of this invention, provided merely for purposes of illustration and without in any way limiting the scope of the invention.

The single FIGURE of the drawing shows a schematic front view of a track lifting car in accordance with the invention, partly in section.

The track lifting means forms no part of the present invention, apart from the combination with the novel grade indicator, and may take any desired form. The illustrated track jacking means associated with each rail is that of our copending application Serial No. 815,979, filed May 26, 1959, now abandoned and replaced by application Serial No. 68,042, now Patent No. 3,103,182, dated September 10, 1963, which we have found to be particularly suitable for our novel track lifting car.

Referring now to the drawing, ballast 4 is shown to constitute the roadbed for a railway track consisting of ties 3 and rails 2. A car frame 1 is adapted to run on the track on wheels 1 which are mounted on axle 20 journaled in webs 21. Each web carries a bracket 22 for supporting a track lifting means consisting of a hydraulic jack in the illustrated embodiment. The jacks are pivotally mounted on the support bracket for lateral pivoting between an operative and a rest position removed from the track.

Each jack includes a pressure fluid cylinder 5 carrying at its lower end a laterally extending rail lifting member 6 fixedly attached to the lift cylinder and adapted to subtend and support rail 2 when the jack is in the illustrated operative position. The cylinder is pivotally mounted on bracket 22 to be moved about fulcrum 23 in a transverse plane perpendicular to the track to assume a rest position during the movement of the car from operating location to operating location.

Piston 8 with its piston rod 7 is slidably guided in lift cylinder 5, the outer end of the piston rod extending downwardly from the lift cylinder and carrying a foot piece which engages and bears upon ballast 4 in the operative position of the jack. Spiral compression spring 9 is mounted in the lower cylinder chamber to bias the piston upwardly. A conduit 24 is connected to the upper lift cylinder chamber to supply pressure fluid, such as a hydraulic liquid, to the upper cylinder chamber whereby the piston may be forced downwardly against the spring bias.

The pressure fluid supply and control system for the operation of the jack forms no part of the present invention and is, therefore, not shown. Any conventional system may be used and the system fully described and illustrated in our above-mentioned patent has been found useful for the purpose.

The illustrated pivoting means for the lift cylinder includes a cylinder 10 slidably supporting a piston 11 with its piston rod 12. A conduit 25 supplies pressure fluid, such as a hydraulic liquid or compressed air, to one chamber of cylinder 10 while the opposite chamber houses spiral compression spring 13 to bias the piston inwardly. The outer end of piston rod 12 is linked to a laterally extending lug 26 of lift cylinder 5. Similarly to lift cylinder 5, pivoting cylinder 10 also has an axially extending lug which is pivoted at 27 to lug 28 fixedly mounted on car frame 1. In this manner, the pivoting cylinder is able to follow the pivoting movement of the lift cylinder when the pivoting means is in operation.

As will be obvious from the above description, supply of pressure fluid to the upper chamber of the lift cylinder 3 will press the foot piece against the roadbed when the hydraulic jack is in the operative position (illustrated). Since the rail lift member then subtends the rail 2, it will support and lift the rail upon the upward movement of the lift cylinder under the pressure of the continuing pressure fluid supply. After the track has been lifted to and positioned at the predetermined level, the pressure fluid is removed from the lift cylinder as well as from pivoting cylinder 10. This will cause spring 9 to move the foot piece out of engagement with the ballast while compression spring 13 will cause the inward movement of piston rod 12 and the concomitant lateral pivoting of cylinder about fulcrum 23 into the rest position away from the track.

All of the hereinabove described structure and operation has been disclosed in our copending application Serial No. 815,979, now abandoned and replaced by application Serial No. 68,042, now Patent No. 3,103,182.

According to the present invention, such a track lifting car has a pendulum indicator 14 mounted on its frame for pivotal movement in a transverse plane perpendicular to the track. In the illustrated embodiment, the indicator is a two-armed lever whose fulcrum 16 is pivoted in a bracket 29 on the car. The downwardly extending arm of the indicator lever passes through a slot 30 in the car frame and carries a weight which maintains the indicator at all times in a vertical position. A stationary scale 17 is mounted on the car and is associated with indicator 14, its graduation showing, for instance in millimeter,

the difference in level between the rails 2. Furthermore,

the bracket 29 also holds an adjustable scale 18 which also is pivotal about fulcrum 16 and whose graduation also shows the difference in level between the rails, i.e. the lateral inclination of the track. The scale 18 has an arcuate slot 19 guiding a set screw 31 mounted on the indicator so that the position of the scale 18 may be adjusted and set in relation to that of the indicator.

The track lifting car operates as follows:

With its rail jacks pivoted into the rest position out of the range of the track, the car has been moved to a location, for instance, where the rail 2 indicated at the left in the drawing must be raised by mm., according to a previously effected survey. To obtain a secure basis for the measurement of the lifting stroke, the right rail is first lifted a little bit so that the tie.3 may be pivoted securely about the right rail, which serves as the fixed fulcrum therefor during the subsequent raising of the left rail.

The pressure fluid system is put into operation to actuate the hydraulic jack associated with the left rail after the adjustable scale 18 has been set so that indicator 14 points to zero on the graduation, as shown. As the jack lifts the rail, the extent of the lifting stroke can be read from the graduation of scale 18, for instance in millimeters. As soon as the indicator points to 20, the pressure fluid supply to lift cylinder 5 is interrupted to stop further raising of the left rail 2.

The left rail now has the desired track level and it is now only necessary to grade the track transversely by raising the right rail to the desired level in respect to the left rail. The desired transverse track inclination is read from the stationary scale 17. In a straight portion of the track, where it is desired to grade the track in a horizontal position, the right rail 2 is lifted until indicator 14 points to zero. on scale 17. Where an inclination of the track is desired, for instance in curves, the desired inclination may readily be read from the scale 17.

While the track lifting method has been particularly described in connection with a specific apparatus, it will be obvious to the skilled in the art that many variations and modifications are possible in the method and the apparatus without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claim.

What We claim is:

A method of lifting a track having two rails mounted on ties to a desired level, comprising the steps of lifting one of said rails while maintaining the other one of said rails at rest, measuring the lifting stroke of the one rail in relation to the other rail at rest, discontinuing the lifting of said one rail when the measured lifting stroke indicates that said one rail has reached the desired level, fixing said one rail at said level, lifting the other rail while maintaining said one rail at rest as a fixed reference point, measuring the lifting stroke of said other rail in relation to said fixed reference point constituted by said one rail, and discontinuing the lifting of said other rail when the measured lifting stroke of said other rail indicates the desired level.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 309,792 McGregor Dec. 24, 1884 325,706 Stevens Sept. 8, 1885 824,536 Ellis et al June 26, 1906 862,775 Warren Aug. 6, 1907 1,014,648 Hill Jan. 16, 1912 1,599,622 Piersaul Sept. 14, 1926 2,538,145 Christopulos Jan. 16, 1951 2,645,858 Davis July 21, 1953 2,734,463 Hursh et a] Feb. 14, 1956 2,760,440 Kershaw Aug. 28, 1956 2,974,607 Talboys Mar. 14, 1961 3,071,082 Talboys Jan. 1, 1963 FOREIGN PATENTS 205,601 Austria Sept. 10, 1959 OTHER REFERENCES Publication: Railway Track and Structures; March 1957, pages 68-69. 

